Herbalism for the budding gardener

ONE: Herbs and Poisons

Herbalists and those skilled in the art of poisons may plant unprepared herbs and poisons. Providing there is sufficient resource within the land to grow and that the plant is in its natural habitat, you should be able to come back to it after an Avalon month or two to find it has grown. Prepared herbs and poisons cannot be planted. To plant a herb, type PLANT followed by the name of that which you wish to plant.

Each herb/poison has a different natural habitat in addition to an optimum base number, to be planted in a location, for optimum growth - a minimum below which it will not multiply, and a maximum beyond which it will be considered to have 'filled' the location. Experienced herbalists will likely have gained a feel for these optimums and limits, per each herb or poison, and many guilds provide useful herbalism documentation in the guild libraries.

TWO: TREES and LARGE FLORA

Most of Avalon is fertile and fecund, the soil most condusive to the growing of all manner of perennial and temperate plants and trees. It is quickly understood by Avalonians that the trees are not mere passive servants to the needs of ambitious man but range the full spectrum from silent sentinels without intellect to the roused huorns (see HELP HUORNS) and fully sentient, mobile ents or shepherds of the forest.

The sylvan world of forests and ents and living things is a wonderful canvas for those with nurturing or creative disposition. It can sometimes be a battleground, however, between ideologies e..g. the Animists and the Sorcerers. See HELP STRIFE for details of this eternal clash of good versus evil.

THREE: GARDENS and FECUND SOIL

Gardens are found dotted about the land though most often in cities where houses or constructed civil buildings enclose fertile outdoor locations in which a garden has been laid. These gardens must be tended: seed may be planted in the spring and plants, flowers, spices and rare flora brought forth from the earth. Gardens are vulnerable to weeds and hungry herbivores and can - sad to say - be occasionally a target for destructive or evil attack. Just as the forest, the garden in bloom is vulnerable to fire, flood and furore.